The Act recognises two main types of party walls:
Party Wall Type A
A party wall is defined as a wall that straddles the boundary line between two (or more) properties. This type of wall can serve various purposes:
- It is part of a single building, or
- It separates two (or more) buildings, or
- It serves as a party fence wall, used solely for separating the lands of different owners (such as a masonry garden wall). This does not include fences made of wood or hedges.
Party Wall Type B
A party wall may also be a wall wholly on one property but used by two or more properties to separate their buildings. An example of this might be a wall that was initially built by one person, but later, another person constructs a building against it without creating a separate wall of their own. In this case, only the part of the wall that separates the two properties is considered a “party wall.”
The Act also refers to a broader category, party structure, which includes any structural feature—such as a wall or floor partition—that separates two buildings or parts of buildings. This might include things like floors separating flats or walls between properties that each have their own entrance.
Walls that Are Not Party Walls
These include:
- Boundary walls: These walls may include those that are built wholly on one property owner’s land, such as garden walls or fences.
- External walls: Walls built up to the boundary but not crossing it.